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[Page 341]
[Translation] 4. THE PARROT.
1.
[Page 342]1 IN painted plumes superbly drest,
2 A native of the gorgeous east,
3 By many a billow tost;
4 Poll gains at length the British shore,
5 Part of the captain's precious store,
6 A present to his toast.
2.
7 Belinda's maids are soon preferr'd
8 To teach him now and then a word,
9 As Poll can master it;
10 But 'tis her own important charge
11 To qualify him more at large,
12 And make him quite a wit.
3.
13 Sweet Poll! his doating mistress cries,
14 Sweet Poll! the mimic bird replies,
15 And calls aloud for sack,
16 She next instructs him in the kiss,
17 'Tis now a little one like Miss,
18 And now a hearty smack.
4.
[Page 344]19 At first he aims at what he hears
20 And listening close with both his ears,
21 Just catches at the sound;
22 But soon articulates aloud,
23 Much to th' amusement of the crowd
24 And stuns the neighbours round.
5.
25 A querulous old woman's voice
26 His humorous talent next employs,
27 He scolds and gives the lie;
28 And now he sings, and now is sick,
29 Here Sally, Susan, come, come quick,
30 Poor Poll is like to die.
6.
31 Belinda and her bird! 'tis rare
32 To meet with such a well-match'd pair,
33 The language and the tone,
34 Each character in every part
35 Sustain'd with so much grace and art,
36 And both in unison.
7.
37 When children first begin to spell
38 And stammer out a syllable,
39 We think them tedious creatures;
40 But difficulties soon abate,
41 When birds are to be taught to prate,
42 And women are the teachers.
About this text
Author: Vincent Bourne; William Cowper (translator)
Themes:
animals
Genres:
translation; satire
Text view / Document view
Source edition
Cowper, William, 1731-1800. Poems: by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple, Esq. London: printed for J. Johnson, 1782, pp. 341-344. [4],367,[1]p. ; 8⁰. (ESTC T14895; OTA K027775.000) (Page images digitized by the University of California Libraries.)
Editorial principles
The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.
Other works by William Cowper
- ANOTHER. Addressed to a YOUNG LADY. ()
- BOADICEA, AN ODE. ()
- CHARITY. ()
- A COMPARISON. ()
- CONVERSATION. ()
- THE DIVERTING HISTORY OF JOHN GILPIN, SHEWING HOW HE WENT FARTHER THAN HE INTENDED AND CAME SAFE HOME AGAIN. ()
- THE DOVES. ()
- AN EPISTLE TO JOSEPH HILL, ESQ. ()
- EXPOSTULATION. ()
- A FABLE. ()
- HEROISM. ()
- HOPE. ()
- HORACE. Book the 2d. ODE the 10th. ()
- HUMAN FRAILTY. ()
- THE LILY AND THE ROSE. ()
- THE LOVE OF THE WORLD REPROVED; OR, HYPOCRISY DETECTED. ()
- THE MODERN PATRIOT. ()
- MUTUAL FORBEARANCE, Necessary to the Happiness of the Married State. ()
- THE NIGHTINGALE AND GLOW-WORM. ()
- ODE TO PEACE. ()
- On a GOLDFINCH starved to Death in his Cage. ()
- On observing some Names of little Note recorded in the BIOGRAPHIA BRITANNICA. ()
- On the Burning of LORD MANSFIELD'S Library, together with his MSS. by the Mob, in the Month of June, 1780. ()
- On the Promotion of EDWARD THURLOW, Esq. to the Lord High Chancellorship of ENGLAND. ()
- ON THE SAME. ()
- The PINE APPLE and the BEE. ()
- THE POET, THE OYSTER, AND SENSITIVE PLANT. ()
- THE PROGRESS OF ERROR. ()
- A REFLECTION on the foregoing ODE. ()
- REPORT Of an adjudged Case not to be found in any of the Books. ()
- RETIREMENT. ()
- THE SHRUBBERY, Written in a Time of Affliction. ()
- TABLE TALK. ()
- [THE TASK, A POEM, IN SIX BOOKS.] BOOK I. ()
- [THE TASK, A POEM, IN SIX BOOKS.] BOOK II. ()
- [THE TASK, A POEM, IN SIX BOOKS.] BOOK III. ()
- [THE TASK, A POEM, IN SIX BOOKS.] BOOK IV. ()
- [THE TASK, A POEM, IN SIX BOOKS.] BOOK V. ()
- [THE TASK, A POEM, IN SIX BOOKS.] BOOK VI. ()
- TIROCINIUM. ()
- To the REV. MR. NEWTON. An Invitation into the Country. ()
- To the Rev. WILLIAM CAWTHORNE UNWIN. ()
- [Translation] 1. THE GLOW-WORM, ()
- [Translation] 2. THE JACK DAW. ()
- [Translation] 3. THE CRICKET. ()
- TRUTH. ()
- VERSES, supposed to be written by ALEXANDER SELKIRK, during his solitary Abode in the Island of JUAN FERNANDEZ. ()
- THE WINTER NOSEGAY. ()